Kanye West says he loves Trump because they're both 'dragon energy' - here's what that means

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Dragon bros stick together. Trump and West pictured.

• Kanye West tweeted that he loves Donald Trump because they are both "dragon energy."
• West also tweeted that people with dragon energy are "natural born leaders," "very instinctive," and have "great foresight."
• Another source says dragon energy is a common metaphor in Taoist magic, and is the "essence of creation."

On Wednesday, rapper Kanye West tweeted about his affection for - and similarity to - President Donald Trump.

West wrote:

"You don't have to agree with trump but the mob can't make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don't agree with everything anyone does. That's what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought."

West later walked back his ardent support for Trump, noting that he doesn't agree with everyone the president (or anyone else) does. But the tweet left many people wondering: What exactly is dragon energy? Even Elon Musk appeared to join in on the jokes around dragon energy.

On Tuesday, West tweeted that people with dragon energy are "natural born leaders," "very instinctive," and have "great foresight."

It's unclear where West is getting this information about dragon energy describing leadership abilities, good instincts, and great foresight.

According to Tin Yat Dragon, which bills itself as "the best place for Taoism and Taoist magic on the internet," dragon energy is a metaphor often used in Taoist magic.

Tin Yat Dragon's website reads: "Dragon energy is formless, and not visible, and not even detectable by science, because it is the energy that holds the potentials for the future." In nature, the website says, dragon energy is the essence of creation.

Taoism itself is a religious and philosophical tradition that was born in China about 2,000 years ago, and dragons are a popular symbol in Chinese culture - although there's no sign West's dragon energy is connected to Taoism or to Chinese tradition. According to USA Today, people believed that China's first imperial dynasty had dragon blood, which is why Chinese people consider themselves "descendants of the dragon."

It's also not clear that West practices Taoism. In a 2013 interview with Kris Jenner, he said he was a Christian, adding, "It's important to me that I grow, and walk, and raise my family with Christian values."

West did, however, recently disclose to the Hollywood Reporter that he's working on a philosophy book titled, "Break the Simulation," about people's obsession with photographs.